Kotia villagers vote in two states without being inked
KORAPUT: Amid a contentious territorial dispute, the residents of the disputed Kotia villages exercised their right to vote in both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh on Monday without being inked in either states. Residents said the administration allowed them to vote in both the places since they had sought permission for the same. With all eyes on Kotia, voters actively participated in the elections right from morning hours.
Nine polling centres were established in Kotia Panchayat, including Kotia, Tala Ganjeipadar, Madkar, and Phagun Sineri in Odisha and at Neredibalasa and Chikapadu on AP territory for the 21 disputed villages.
Former MP Jayaram Pangi alleged that the polling officers in Odisha did not mark voters’ fingers with blue ink, allowing them to cast additional votes in AP’s polling centres. Kotia Sarpanch Leu Gamel said, owing to the border dispute between the two states, the residents had demanded to allow them vote in both the places. So the district and block administrations did not mark voters’ fingers in Odisha’s polling centres, thereby enabling them to exercise their voting rights in both state elections, he added.An ex-sarpanch from AP highlighted the smooth conduct of elections under the coordination of collectors from both states.
Despite the territorial dispute, voter turnout exceeded 60 per cent by early afternoon in Kotia. The region falls under the Koraput Parliamentary constituency and Pottangi Assembly segment of Odisha, as well as the Araku Parliamentary constituency and Salur Assembly segment of Andhra Pradesh.